Rotary engine.



No. 877,965,. PATENTED FEB. 4, 1908. F. SHEEN. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.18, 1906. RENEWED 0OT.10,1907

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PATENTED FEB. 4, 1908. F. SUREN.

ROTARY ENGINE APPLICATION FILED M016, 1906. RENEWED 001210, 1907.

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No. 877,965. PATENTED FEB. 4, 1908. F. SUREN.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLIOA-TION FILED DEG.18, 190s. RENEWED 001'. 10, 1907.

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THE Monms PETERS ca. wasummon, nc.

FERDINAND SUREN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1 908.

Application filed December 18. 1906. Serial No. 348.450. Renewed October 10 1907. Serial No. 396.775.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND SUREN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is aspecification.

The objects of my invention are to provide a rotary fluid-pressure engine, of a new and improved form, which can be instantly and easily stopped, and if desired reversed, in which there will be no leakage by the valves or by the pistons, in which the natural wear of the pistons may be easily taken care of and the same made at all times tight, in which the expansion of the motor steam or other pressure fluid may be fully used, by which all back-pressure may be eliminated, and in which the steam or other pressure fluid is caused to act upon the moving parts or pistons in such manner that there is no pounding, or undue strain upon any part of the device upon the admission thereof to the cylinders.

To such ends my invention consists in substance, of a plurality of coacting float-bearing pistons journaled in suitable chambers or cylinders, ports in opposing walls of such chambers, a throttle, cut off and feed valvemechanism controlling the ports in such manner that the entrance of the motor-fluid may be absolutely controlled and that it may be exhausted as may be desired from either side of the piston cylinders, means for packing the valves so as to prevent leakage by the same of the motor-fluid, means for packing the pistons and piston-floats so as to prevent leakage thereby of the motor-fluid, and means for taking up the wear of the pistons so as to keep the same at all times in tight peripheral contact with one another; although it is not to be understood that my invention is limited to the combination in one structure of all of said devices and parts, or to the exact construction of any or all of said parts shown, as my said invention consists in the particular construction, combination and arrangement of certain devices and parts, and the particular construction of certain devices and parts, all as hereinafter more particularly set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

Said invention is fully described in the following specification of which the accompanying drawings form a part, and in which: 1

Figure 1, is a side view in vertical section of an engine of my improved form taken on the line aa of Fig. 2. Fig. 2, is an end view of such engine particularly in section on the line bb of said Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is an endview of two of my improved coacting pistons for such engines on an enlarged scale, showing my new and improved method of packing the same. Fig. 4, is a view in longitudinal section on the line :r-00 of Fig. 3, of two sets of my improved pistons, one being a divided piston, in position in their individual cylinders or piston chambers; Fig. 5, is a longitudinal plan view of my rotating hollow cylindrical valve, and Fig. 6 is an end view thereof in cross section on the line cc of Fig. 5. Fig. 7, is a view similar to Fig. 5 of the stationary annular valve-sleeve which incloses the rotating hollow cylindrical valve shown in Fig. 5, and Fig. 8, is an end view thereof, taken in section on the line dd of Fig. 7. Fig. 9, is a view similar to Figs. 5 and 7, of the vibratory cut-off valve-sleeve which is superposed upon and incloses the stationary valve-sleeve, and Fig. 10 is an end view thereof, taken in. section on the line c@ of Fig. 9. Figs. 5 to 10 inclusive show my improved form of packing such valves. Fig. 11, is atop plan-view in detail on an enlarged scale of the straight form of packing used thereon. Fig. 12 is an end view of such packing taken in section on the line of Fig. 11; and Fig. 1.3, is a view of one of the L shaped packing strips 'used to form the complete packing shown in Figs.

11 and 12, with the tension spring in position therein.

Referring to the drawings z-As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, my. improved engine consists of an outer casing 11, usually cylindrical in form within which is the cylinder or main piston-chamber 12 of the Fig. 8 form, shown, and in the walls of which piston-chamber at the contracted or central waist portion and on either side thereof, are formed the cylindrical valve-chambers 13 and 14, which communicate with each of the individual pistonchambers 15, 16 and 17 into which the main piston chamber 12 is divided by removable partitions 18, and 20, by individual ports 15. And said valve-chambers 13 and 14: are also in communication by way of suitable ports 21 and 22, with the longitudinal exhaust steam-passages 23 and 2 1.

Located in each of the cylindrical-valvechambers 13 and 14 is a vibratory'cut-oifvalve-sleeve 25, and each of these is provided with a port 26 for each of the individual piston-chambers 15, 16 and 17, and these valve-sleeves 25 are each simultaneously vibrated in the same direction as may be desired, in anydesired manner, usually by a hand-lever 9 connected therewith by a suitable link-mechanism, as shown in Fig. 1. This cut-off valve-sleeve is superposed upon a stationary annular valve-sleeve 28, which is provided with ports 27, similar to the ports 26 of the sleeve 25, and like them arranged in line.

Within the stationary annular valvesleeve 28 is located the rotating cylindricalvalve 29, which is also provided with ports 30 similar to the ports 26 of the sleeve 25, and ports 27 of the sleeve 28, and so placed as to register with them when desired, but such ports 30 are staggered instead of being in line, that is a line drawn around the cylinder in which they are formed and through the center of each would form a spiral there on. In this case three pistons being shown, they are each one-third of the circumference of the cylinder from the one next adjacent. If four cylinders were used this distance would be one-fourth, if five, one-fifth, and so on.

As shown in Fig. 1, the inner open end B of each of these rotary valve-sleeves is at all times in free communication by way of a suitable steam passage 31, with the inletsteam passage 32, while the longitudinal exhaust-passages 23 and 24, are in like manner in free communication with the outlet or exhaust passage 33 by way of a cross-passage 34 similar to the passage 31. I

In each of the individual piston-chambers 15, 16 and 17 are located an upper piston C and a coacting lower piston D, the pistons C being all securelykeyed upon a common rotating piston-shaft 35, and the pistons D upon a similar shaft 36, which shafts are connected together and with the rotating valvesleeves by suitable gear-wheels 37,38 and 39 as shown in Fig. 1.

The pistons C and D are each provided with a float 40 adjacent to which is a floatrecess 41 to receive the end of the float of the other piston, at the moment of the passage by one another of such floats in the common rotation of the pistons.

By this construction it will be seen that When the vibratory or oscillating cut-off valve-sleeve, is in the position shown at H in Fig. 2, that as the staggered ports 30 of the rotating valve-sleeve 29, are one by one brought successively into registry with the ports 27 of the stationary annular valvesleeve 28, which are at the same time in registry with the ports 26 of the vibratory or oscillating cut-off valve-sleeve 25, that steam Will pass from the rotating valve to the piston-chambers, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 1, by way of the ports 15, whereby the top pistons C will be rotated to the left and the bottom pistons D to the right, as shown by arrows, and that the exhaust steam after having performed its work, will pass to the exhaust-passage 23, by way of the like ports 15, and the ports 21, whence such exhaust steam will pass to the outlet 33 by way of the passage 31. The vibratory cut-off valves are placed in these positions by throwing the hand-lever to the extreme right position, and when such lever is thrown to the extreme left position, the positions of the valves are reversed, that at G being in the position shown at H, and that at H in the position shown at G, in which case that which was the steam side will become the exhaust and vice-versa, and steam being now admitted at H and exhausted at G, the pistons C and D, andconsequently the main or drive shaft F to which the shafts are connected by gearing, will be rotated in the opposite direction.

When it is desired to stop the engine, it is only necessary to leave the hand-lever in the upright middle position when the ports of the stationary valve-sleeve 28 will be covered by the vibratory valve-sleeve on both sides, when no steam can enter, and in like manner as more or less of such ports are covered a greater or less quantity of steam is allowed to enter.

In order to render the engine easy running the pistons are of course so arranged on their respective shafts, that the floatsthereof are staggered in the same manner as are the ports of the rotating hollow-valve-sleeve, so that in one revolution each pair of pistons receiving one impulse, the whole three sets will together receive three impulses, each at' one third of a revolution.

Thus far the construction described forms no part of my invention, and has been. referred to only for the purpose of showing the connection of my improvements therewith,' which consist (1) of an improved method of packing thepistons, (2) of packing the valve mechanism, and (3) of taking up the peripheral wear of the pistons, it having been found in practice, that without means therefor, at pressure higher than say 50 pounds,

the steam will blow by the valves and by the pistons, a difficulty which is fully obviated. by my improvements herein shown and described.

To pack the pistons a groove 51 is formed in the peripheral edge of each of such pistons, usually of the form in cross-section shown in Fig. 4, wherein the bottom of such groove is parallel with the side or flat face of the piston, and the'back at a right angle to such bottom and face, While the front Wall of such groove slopes outward from the bottom at an angle thereto, usually that of 15 degrees as shown. In such groove is placed the packing ring 52 of substantially the same shape as the groove 51, which ring is formed as is usual with such rings of some hard and highly resilient material such as steel or bronze.

The semi-circular wall of the float recess or cavity 41, is also provided with a like groove 53, in which fits a similar semi-circular packing-piece 54, and in order to properly pack the float at the sides and outer ends, a sidefloat-packing-strip 55 is secured to the adjacent end of each of the main packing-rings 52, in any desired manner, usually by means of a small screw 56 which usually also secures the piece 54 thereto; and to the packing strips 55, is secured the end-float-packing strip 57, the connection being made usually as shown in Fig. 4, by beveling off the ends of the strips to an angle of 45, and providing such strips at the'bevel, one with a stud or pin 58, and the other with a hole to receive the same, each of which is at a right angle to the bevel.

When in position it will be seen that the natural resiliency of the main-ring 52, it having to be compressed to be inserted in position, will at all times tend to force it out, along the inclined outer wall of the groove 51, and that this will at same time force such ring against'the adjacent partition wall. This outward movement of the wings will carry out with them the side-float packing-strip 55, and this movement of the strips will cause the end-float-packing-strip 57 to be forced against the peripheral wall of the piston-chamber or the coacting piston, as the case may be while the length of the pins or studs 58 is such that the strip 57 will never be forced fully off while passing from chamber wall to piston, and vice-versa.

The form of pistons shown at K, in Fig. 4, differs from that shown at I1, in the fact, that the pistons O and D, at L are in their main or body portion formed of one piece, whereas at K the upper piston C is centrally split at a right angle to the aXis so as to be in two pieces 59 and 60, the two pieces being firmly bolted together by suitable bolts 62, the two pieces being slightly beveled on the periphery from the ring-side to the face which will abut against the other piston-half, so that the complete piston will be provided with a V shaped peripheral groove 63, into which tightly fits the like shaped peripheral tongue 64 of the coacting one-part piston D. And it will be seen that the joint between the pistons may at any time be made tight when worn loose, by screwing the parts tightly together again so that the groove 63 will be made smaller, and thus the peripheral tongue 64 be gripped more tightly thereby.

In order to prevent leakage of the steam by the valve mechanism, the longitudinal cut-off-valve sleeve 25, as well as the ports of the stationarv valve-sleeve 28, are provided with port-packing strips 65, secured thereto by suitable-screws 66, as shown in Figs. 5 to 10 inclusive, and such port-packing-strips 65 are usually of the form shown in detail in Figs. 11, 12 and 13, consisting of a packing-strip formed of two strips 67 and 68, usually of steel or bronze of L shape in cross-section, put together so as to leave a rectangular central hollow space 69 between them, in which lies a spring 7 0, which is usually of the double-bow spring form shown in Fig. 13, which by pressure against the bottom or narrower foot portions of the L.

shaped strips continually forces such strips apart, one toward the inside of the sleeve and the other toward the outside, as far as the slots 71 and securing-screws 66 will permit to move, and in addition whatever steam gets within the hollow spring-chamber will also tend to force them apart, and such steam will always find entrance thereto by way of the screw-slots 71.

Each of the three valve-sleeves, viz: the vibratory, the stationary and the rotary are provided between the abutting ports, and at either end, with suitable resilient packing rings 73 of any desired form, which fit into suitable annular grooves formed therein, upon the outer peripheral surface, and these rings being by their resiliency constantly forced outward will form tight joints as follows, viz :-those on the rotating-valvesleeve, with the interior wall of the stationaryvalve-sleeve, those on the stationary valvesleeve with the interior wall of the vibratory cut-off valve-sleeve, and those on the vibratory cut-off valve-sleeve with the interior wall of the valvechamber; and by the use of all such packings for said sleeves, it will be seen that the valve-mechanism will be made absolutely secure against leakage, even at the highest of practical steam-pressures.

If desired, the natural resiliency of the valve-packing-rings, of the rings on the pistons. and the other piston packing may be made of any of the well known forms of such packing, whereby steam is admitted behind the same, to assist in forcing such packing more tightly against the abutting-surface at the joint to be made tight, but as such con struction is old in rings and packings, I have not deemed it necessary to further show or describe the same herein.

While I have shown my invention as applied to an engine of a particular form, I do not intend to limit the same to use with such or any other form, as the same is applicable to many engines, and like mechanisms, differing widely in construction, and I have only shown the same herein in connection with a complete engine in order to show one of many practical embodiments and applications 65 edges of the ports of the vibratory oscillating l thereof.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In ajdevice of the class described, a float piston, an annular groove on each flat face of the piston adjacent to the periphery, and a resilient packing ring located in the groove, and moving out of the grooves by its resiliency at an angle other than a right angle to the axis of the piston.

2. In a device of the class described, a float piston, an annular groove on each flat face of the piston adjacent to the periphery, and a resilient packing ring located in the groove, and moving out of the groove by its own resiliency at an angle of to the axis of the piston.

3. A float-piston provided with an annular groove on each flat face adjacent to the periphery the inner wall of which is parallel withjthe axis of the piston, the bottom wall at an angle thereto, and the outer wall formlng an obtuse angle with the bottom wall, and a packing ring of resilient material snugly fitting in the groove.

4. In adevice of the class described, a floatpiston, an annular broken groove on each flat face of the piston adjacent to the periphery so shaped that a packing-ring therein may move out of the groove on a line at an acute angle to the axial line of the piston, a floatrecess in one side of the piston adjacent to the float, a float-recess groove of the same curve as the float-recess the ends of whichconnect with the ends'of the annular broken groove formed in the face of the piston adjacent to the float recess, and a packing piece or ring located in the float-recess-groove.

5. In a device of the class described, a floatpiston, an annular broken groove on each flat-face of the piston adjacent to the periphery so shaped that a packing-ring therein may move out of the groove on a line at an acute angle to the axial line of the piston, a float-recess in one side of thepiston adjacent to the float, a float-recess groove of the 'same curve as the float-recess, the ends of which connect with the ends of the annular broken. groove formed in the face of the iston adj acent to the float recess, and a pac 'iing piece or ring located in the float-recess-groove and secured at one end to the annular packing r1ng.

6. In a device-of the class described, a float-piston, an annular broken groove on each flat-face of the piston adjacent to the periphery so shaped that a packing-ring therein may move out of the groove on a line at an acute angle to the axial line of the piston, a float-recess in one-side of the piston adjacent to the float, a float-recess groove of the same curve as the float-recess, the ends of which connect with the ends of the annular broken groove formed in the face of the piston adjacent to the float-recess, a packing piece or ring located in the float-recessfloat-piston, an annular broken groove on.

each flat-face of the piston adjacent to the periphery so shaped that a packing-ring therein may move out of the groove on a line at an acute angle to the axial line of the piston, a float-recess in one side of the piston adjacent to the float, a float-recess groove of the same curve as the float-recess, the ends of which connect with the ends of the annular broken groove formed in the face of the piston adjacent to the float-recess, a packing piece or ring located in the float-recessgroove and secured at one end to the annular packing ring, a side-float packing strip at each side of the piston-float secured at the inner end to the annular packing-ring and the float-recess-packing-piece, and an end-floatpacking strip connected with the side-float packing-strips in such manner that outward movement of the side-strips will force the end-strip outward.

9 8. In a device of the classdescrlbed, a

float-piston, an annular broken groove on each flat-face of the piston adjacent to the periphery so shaped that a packing-ring therein may move out on a line at an acute angle to the axial line-of the piston, a float recess in one side of the piston adjacent to the float, a float-recess groove of the same curve as the float-recess, the ends of which connect with the ends of the annular broken groove formed in the face of the piston adjacent to the float-recess, a packing piece or ring located in Y the floatrecess groove and secured at one end to the annular packing-ring, a sidefloat-packing-strip at each side of the piston float secured at the inner end to the annularpacking-ring, and an end-float-packing-strip meeting the side-fioat-packingstrips at the ends at an angle of 45, secured thereto in such manner that outward movement of the side-strips will force the end-strip outward.

9. In a device of the class described, a float-piston, an annular broken groove on each flat-face of the piston adjacent to the periphery so shaped that a packing-ring therein may move out of the groove on a line at an acute angle to the axial line of the piston, a float-recess in one side of the piston adjacent to the float, a float-recess groove of the same curve as the float-recess, the ends of which connect with the ends of the annular broken groove formed in the face of the piston adjacent to the float recess, a packingpiece or ring located in the float recess and secured at one end to the annular packing- I for forcing the strips apart.

ring, a side-float-packing-strip at each side of the piston float secured at the inner end to the annular-packing-ring, and an end-floatpacking-strip secured at either end to the side-float-packihg-strips in such manner that outward movement of the sidestrips' will force the end-strip outward.

10. In a device of the class described, a float-piston, an annular broken groove on each flat-face of the piston adjacent to the periphery so shaped that a packing-ring therein may move out of the groove on a line at an acute angle to the axial line of the piston, a float-recess in one side of the piston adjacent to the float, a float-recess groove of the same curve as the float-recess, the ends of which connect with the ends of the annular broken groove formed in the face of the piston adjacent to the float recess, a packing piece or ring located in the float-recessgroove and secured at one end to the annular packing ring, a side-float packing-strip at each side of the piston-float secured at the inner end to the annular packing-ring, and an end-float-packing-strip connected at either end with the abutting side-float packingstrips by a pin and socket joint in such manner that outward movement of the sidestrips will force the end strip outward.

11. In a device of the class described, a float-piston, an annular broken groove on each flat-face of the piston adjacent to the periphery so shaped that a packing-ring therein may move out of the groove on a line at an acute angle to the aXial line of the piston, a float-recess in one side of the piston adjacent to the float, a float-recess groove of the same curve as the float-recess, the ends of which connect with the ends of the annular broken groove formed in the face of the piston adjacent to the float-recess, a packing or ring located in the floatrecess-groove and secured at one end to the annular packing-ring, and a side-float-packing-strip at each side of the piston-float with ends beveled at other than a right angle abutting against a similarly end beveled end-floatpacking-strip and loosely connected therewith in such manner as to be forced outward by the outward movement of the side-floatpacking-strips.

12. A float-packing for float-pistons comprising a side-float-packing-strip upon each side of the float, mean's normally forcing such strips away from the float, and an endfloat-packingstrip connected at the ends to such -sidefloat-packing-strips so as to be forced outward from the outer end of the float by the outward movement of the sidestrips at an angle thereto.

13. A port-packing, comprising two strips loosely secured to the port-edge, and means 14. A port-packing comprising two strips loosely secured to the port-edge, and a spring normally forcing the strips apart.

15. A port-packing comprising two L- shaped strips placed together so as to leave a rectangular cavity between them, a spring for forcing the strips apart located in the cavity, and screws passing through cross-slots in the strips securing the same to the portedge.

16. In a device of the class described, a valve mechanism comprising a cylindrical hollow-rotating valve having a port in the peripheral wall, an annular stationary valvesleeve superposed upon the rotating-valve provided with a port adapted to register with the valve-port as the valve is rotated, a vibratory cut-off-valve-sleeve with a port adapted to be brought into and out of registry with the port of the stationary valvesleeve superposed thereon, valve chamber with an inlet and an outlet port in which fits the cut-off-valve-sleeve, a packing for the longitudinal edges of the port of the stationary valve-sleeve forming a tight joint on the inner side with the outer wall of the rotating-valve-sleeve and on the other side with the inner-wall of the vibratorycutoff-valve-sleeve, and like packing for the port of such cut-oif-valve-sleeve abutting on the inner side against the outer wall of the stationary-valve-sleeve and on theouter against the inner wall of the valvechamber.

17. In a device of the class described, a valve mechanism comprising a cylindrical valve-chamber with a plurality of ports arranged in pairs, a close-fitting sleeve provided with ports similar in number to the number of pairs of valve chamber ports located in the chamber, means for vibrating the same, a like stationary sleeve with a simi lar number of ports within the vibratory sleeve, a moving hollow-valve-sleeve with a similar number of ports located within the stationary valve-sleeve, .a steam passage leading to the interior of the moving valvesleeve, means for moving the moving hollowvalve-sleeve so as to permit steam to successively pass to the ports of the stationary valvesleeve, and packing means for preventing passage of the steam between the abutting surfaces of the superposed sleeves as it passes through the ports.

18. In a device of the class described, a valve mechanism comprising a cylindrical valve-chamber with a plurality of ports arranged in pairs, a close-fitting sleeve provided with ports similar in number to the number of pairs of valve chamber ports located in the chamber, means for vibrating the same, a like stationary sleeve with a similar number of ports within the vibratory sleeve, a rotating hollow valve-sleeve with av located within the similar number of ports the ports in the stationary valve sleeve,

19. In a device of the class described, a

valve mechanism comprising a cylindrical valve-chamber with a plurality of ports arranged in pairs, a close-fitting sleeve provided with ports similar in number to the number of pairs of valve chamber ports located in the chamber, means for vibrating the same, a like stationary sleeve with a similar number of ports within the vibratory sleeve, a rotating hollow valve-sleeve with a similar number of ports located within the stationary valvesleeve, the ports in the valve-chamber wall being arranged in two straight lines in the stationaryvalve-sleeve and the vibratory-cut-off-valve sleeve in a single straight line, and in the rotating valve in a succession of lines so as to be staggered or stepped around the periphery, and a packing-strip for each longitudinal edge of each port of the stationary and vibratory valve sleeves each comprising two L-shaped crossslotted strips arranged to form a hollow rectangle secured to the port-edge by screws was passing through the slots, and a spring with in the hollow normally forcing one strip inward and the other outward, and packing rings surrounding the valve-sleeves-so as to prevent leakage longitudinally between the abutting-surfaces.

20. In a device of the class described, a float-piston having a peripheral-groove, and a co-acting float-piston having a peripheral tongue snugly fitting into the groove of the first piston. V

21. In a device of the class described, a float-piston centrally split at the center at a right angle to its axis into two parts, means for securing the two parts together, a V- shaped groove formed in the periphery with the point at the line of juncture of the two parts, and a coacting float-piston having a peripheral tongue of the same shape as the groove snugly fitting into the groove of the first piston.

22. In a device of the class described, a float-piston centrally split at the center at a right angle to its axis into two arts, means for securing the two parts toget er, a groove formed in the periphery with the center at the line of juncture of the two parts, and a coacting float-piston having a peripheral tongue of the same shape as the groove snugly fitting into the groove of the first piston.

. F. SUREN. Witnesses:

D. WALTER BROWN, CHARLES H. WILSON. 

